


Unbury My Love

by Writers_Have_Their_Own_Set_of_Rules



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Almost tragedy but happy resolution, Aphrodite doesn't control love she merely represents it, Eros frequently spies on love, F/M, Memories & histories detailed, Mention of Eros and Psyche's daughter Hedone, Mention of other myths, Psyche & Eros during seperation, Psyche character development, Psyche literally goes through hell and back, Supportive Hades & Persephone, These two deserved better seriously, Zephyrus delivers the sisters' comeuppence, character exploration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25488250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writers_Have_Their_Own_Set_of_Rules/pseuds/Writers_Have_Their_Own_Set_of_Rules
Summary: The trials of love have left both literal and physical marks on Eros and Psyche. But when it comes down to it, no jealous mortal sister nor angry goddess mother can sever their union.
Relationships: Eros/Psyche (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Hades/Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Kudos: 19





	Unbury My Love

A life of denied love. 

Psyche thought that was the worse thing she could possibly face.

To many, that wouldn't seem like much, just something to be mourned yet dealt with. Many mortals still remembered the fear and unpreparedness of the first winter, when the goddess Demeter went..."on strike", so to speak. And then of course there were the Greek heroes, who faced threats that a sheltered princess like Psyche could scarcely believe. Perseus and the Kraken, Theseus and the Minotaur, Heracles and his Twelve Labors...the list went on. 

For Psyche, a princess raised in a shining castle whose ever whim was catered, the biggest threat she usually faced was what she'd have for dinner. 

Granted, there was the notion of Aphrodite, whose beauty she rivaled in every conceivable way (admirers' words, not hers). But considering how long she went without any sign of retaliation from the goddess, Psyche thought she was in the clear. 

Then the Oracle of Apollo declared the marriage and subsequent death by the God-feared monster, and her fears of denied love felt not only confirmed, but overshadowed. 

The wedding procession she'd spent countless years imagining carried the somberness of a funeral, and her dress, though bridal white, felt marred by her companions' ignominious robes of midnight black. 

Psyche accepted her fate with the same dignity and valor she imagined a Greek hero would convey, but secretly, she was terrified. She hadn't asked to be born this way; nor did she ask to be worshiped. But there was nothing she could do, lest she vex Aphrodite further. 

*******

A knife and candlewax.

That was all it took to make Psyche realize how foolish she was.

It wasn't being denied love that hurt the most. It was finding love, and then losing it. 

*******

The night before her sisters came, Psyche felt with so much joy and appreciation towards her husband. She could tell he wasn't too keen on the idea of them coming to the palace, and honestly, she didn't blame him. They thought she'd been married to a monster after all, and he knew that too, so surely he feared their insults, and within the walls of his own home no less. But the fact that he was allowing her to see them again after she'd already gone home showed a clear sign that he cared for her. He was doing it simply because he knew it would make her happy. And the thought of that alone was enough to make Psyche realize her feelings towards him.

"Husband?" she whispered into the empty air, fearing he had already gone. 

"Yes, Psyche?" he responded, confirming his presence by twirling one of her lose blonde curls on his finger. She giggled at the light tugging sensation she felt on her head. 

"Did I wake you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because whilst I am here, sleep is of no importance. I can do that elsewhere. In the presence of my wife, however, she is all that matters to me, and I would do well to honor her in any small way I can. Even if it's just admiring her innocence in the depths of slumber." 

_By the Gods, his face may be monstrous, but his words are nothing but pure beauty,_ Psyche thought. 

"Before you go, which I know you inevitably will, can I tell you something?" she asked. 

"Anything, darling."

Psyche took a deep breath, knowing she was crossing the point of no return, the free fall beyond the cliff's edge. But she was unafraid. 

"I'm falling in love with you, husband." 

She heard him suck in a breath. 

"Truly, Psyche? You feel love towards me?"

"Yes, I do," she replied. "I may not know your face, but I know your heart. You may look as a monster, but your heart beats as a man. But only the best kind; the kind Zeus originally created, filled with love and tenderness rather than anger and hate." 

"Psyche..." he began, then he cleared his throat, and she swore she heard him sniffle. "Now it is _I_ who has been left stunned by _you_." 

"I'm always dazzled by your lyrical prose, husband, and I've read several poetry books from our library, so I wanted to create something of my own," she admitted. "But nevertheless, it is all true." 

"Well it was beautiful, dear," he said, planting a kiss on her head. "Your words rival the talents of Apollo himself." 

Psyche gasped, sitting bolt up right and feeling scared. "I've already angered one god with my existence, my love! As much as I adore your compliments, please don't say anything that could anger another!"

"Forgive me, Psyche, you're right," he apologized quickly, stroking her cheek. "Considering the circumstances that brought you to me, I should've realized that was insensitive." 

She relaxed with her husband's touch, and shook her head. "I know now that you'd never do anything to hurt me, and you didn't mean anything by it, so all is forgiven." 

"Good, because I'd hate to anger my wife after she just told me she loved me," he replied, a smile in his voice.

"Don't let it go your head, dear," she murmured, leaning her head against his shoulder and falling into his embrace. An embrace that felt distinctly human. 

Before falling back into the lull of sleep, she heard him whisper "After all I've done, I'd never take what we have for granted." 

She had no strength to put meaning to his words. When morning came, rather than the usual loneliness and uncertainty that came with each sunrise, Psyche felt nothing but joy, as well as a newfound optimism to face the day and wait for her husband. 

*******

"What would you do for me, little traitor?" Aphrodite taunted. "What would you do to prove your devotion to my son and earn my forgiveness?"

Once upon a time, Psyche would've chosen her words carefully, for fear of upsetting the Goddess of Love, who, at the moment, seemed more like the Goddess of Misplaced Vengeance. 

She would've done anything avoid having to earn the goddess's forgiveness, because she knew she'd have to suffer for it, and Psyche saw herself as too fragile and weak-willed to face such an ordeal. She was better suited for roaming about a castle than facing heroic labors. 

But her heart, once forged of glass, shattered not with a sword but by her own blind naivety, had been re-constructed with steel.

And her mind, once full of childish wants and fear, was now sharper than ever. 

Psyche raised her face to meet Aphrodite's, her cheeks long-since dried of tears, and said the one word that would encourage her trials that followed. 

" _Anything,_ your ladyship. I would do anything to reap what I've sown, and pay for my indiscretion."

Aphrodite herself was shocked by the young woman's courage, but she didn't let it show. _All the more reason to put this little pretender in her place,_ she thought. 

Unbeknownst to Psyche, it was her first step to achieving her _true_ destiny.

Becoming Goddess of the Soul. 

*******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my mind, Psyche was always meant to be a goddess. It's why she rivaled Aphrodite's beauty and was worshiped as a mortal. Like the Greek heroes that came before her, she just had to work for it, and I wanted her to recognize that. To change from a mere princess to earning her place in the Greek mythology. On her own, she really deserves more representation, and with Eros, they deserve everything :). 
> 
> Next chapter is set to be more Eros-centered. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave me your thoughts! ~W.


End file.
